ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party may have secured a comfortable simple majority in the National Assembly after sweeping Sunday’s by-elections, but it is unlikely to part ways with its main coalition partner, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), in the center as both parties still need each other for governance and legislation, political experts said on Monday.
Unofficial results from the Election Commission of Pakistan showed the PML-N and allies won from 12 of the 13 national and provincial constituencies that went to polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including all six seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament.
Most of the seats had fallen vacant after disqualification of lawmakers from jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over violent protests in May 2023. The PTI, which boycotted the contest, alleged irregularities in the by-elections. The government has denied it.
According to unofficial results, PM Shehbaz Sharif’s party and allies now have 170 seats in the National Assembly, one more than 169 required for a simple majority in the house of 338 members, with analysts saying the results undoubtedly strengthen the PML-N’s confidence but do not fundamentally alter the coalition dynamics.
